More Bus Moves

[artthouwill]

Am I getting this right that people in the rear car were yelling at the operator sticking her head out the front car, and expected to be heard?

Did anybody try the intercom button (as in the excerpt below)?

That happened on a Red Line train out of Howard, but that was a while back, and on a weekend. In that case, someone walked through the train, knocked on the operator's door, and said that the last two cars were short of the platform. The operator said "I thought I had a 6."

Unlike in the second scenario, there was a platform (however small of a space) to step onto, so really no need of using the intercom,

[Busjack]

Unlike in the second scenario, there was a platform (however small of a space) to step onto, so really no need of using the intercom,

Then what was the point of the shouting?

[artthouwill]

Riding back east this morning, I saw why the shouting. First, the original platform east if the station on the WB side is gone. Secondly, there is this yellow gate that prohibits anyone other than CTA personnel to go beyond it. But we were on the prohibited side, thus people had to step over it one leg at a time to get to the station house. God forbid if someone lost their balance doing this. Looking at the platform this morning made me realize how dangerous this was, much more than I had seen yesterday because I hadn't seen everything.

[Busjack]

Riding back east this morning, I saw why the shouting. First, the original platform east if the station on the WB side is gone. Secondly, there is this yellow gate that prohibits anyone other than CTA personnel to go beyond it. But we were on the prohibited side, thus people had to step over it one leg at a time to get to the station house. God forbid if someone lost their balance doing this. Looking at the platform this morning made me realize how dangerous this was, much more than I had seen yesterday because I hadn't seen everything.

You still missed the point of the question, which was how did people in car 6 expect that the operator in car 1 would hear them?

The operator is supposed to stick her head out the window to monitor the side of the train, so she couldn't see that either?

[jajuan]

I see the 1900s have been a little mixed recently. 1940 now in service on the 26 and 1900 has been up at North Park, yesterday on the 50 Damen and today on the 22 Clark.

[sw4400]

Ran across this article while going on Facebook from the peopleofthecta website. I won't post the photo due to the fact the guy is without clotes, despite him being censored, but those that wish to view the photo w/caption can do so below...

Jesus rides the Pink Line

Aftermath Photo

[BusHunter]

If you look at my roster I noted the changes. I also have #1972 now at 77th. There should only be 1 upper 1900 now at Np. We'll see how long that lasts.

[jajuan]

If you look at my roster I noted the changes. I also have #1972 now at 77th. There should only be 1 upper 1900 now at Np. We'll see how long that lasts.

Actually you noted 1900 and 1902 at North Park, the highest 1900 you have for that garage is 1925, and 1940 you still have listed at 77th. So based on what I see you have on the rosters, 1940 was the out of place bus I observed.

[Busjack]

Ran across this article while going on Facebook from the peopleofthecta website. I won't post the photo due to the fact the guy is without clotes, despite him being censored, but those that wish to view the photo w/caption can do so below...

Jesus rides the Pink Line

Aftermath Photo

Picture 1--more likely there than on the Yellow or Brown Line.

It was my impression that Jesus usually wore a robe.

[BusHunter]

Actually you noted 1900 and 1902 at North Park, the highest 1900 you have for that garage is 1925, and 1940 you still have listed at 77th. So based on what I see you have on the rosters, 1940 was the out of place bus I observed.

I see what you mean, I put #1974 up at NP.

[jajuan]

I see what you mean, I put #1974 up at NP.

Hey it's not hard to miss one or two buses when you're keeping track of about what about 1900. You're still doing an impressive job with the rosters nonetheless.

[Mr.cta85]

I see the 1900s have been a little mixed recently. 1940 now in service on the 26 and 1900 has been up at North Park, yesterday on the 50 Damen and today on the 22 Clark.

1940 was on the 26??? When did 203rd get 1940? You sure it wasn't 1840

[Sam92]

1940 was on the 26??? When did 203rd get 1940? You sure it wasn't 1840

It was probably just a fill in. 77th fills in 103rd's runs a lot since they are often short on equipment. 103rd must still be short since they are still running the shuttles

[jajuan]

1940 was on the 26??? When did 203rd get 1940? You sure it wasn't 1840

No it was 1940 not 1840. Even though BusTracker was tweaked a bit in the map view the '8' and '9' still look distinctively different from each other on the bus icons. I double checked it against the 'Route Progress' and the 'Arrivals' view of BusTracker and both verified that the bus was definitely 1-9-4-0.

[Sam92]

No it was 1940 not 1840. Even though BusTracker was tweaked a bit in the map view the '8' and '9' still look distinctively different from each other on the bus icons. I double checked it against the 'Route Progress' and the 'Arrivals' view of BusTracker and both verified that the bus was definitely 1-9-4-0.

Unless there are other 1900's in that range spotted on 103rd's routes, I'm sticking with it being a loan from 77th. Loans between 77th and 103rd seem to happen the most in the system as far as bus shortages are concerned. There are times when you'll spot NOVA's on back to back days at the Dan Ryan or on J14 or other 103rd routes. Plus with 103rd running a big chunk of service related to the closure of the Red Line (running 24/7 shuttles, HUGE increase in service on J14, 29 and other bus alternatives) they're already probably pretty much using ALL they have as far as equipment is concerned. That was already seen when optimas started showing up on routes that they've never or hardly ran before in addition to a JUMP artic showing up on R95 last week. Now if say 1939, 1941, 1942 etc get spotted in 103rd's area then we can probably go with the possibilty of a transfer. I usually wait for a pattern like that to show up now before counting a bus out of place as a loan. I may post it on here just to make notice of it and see if others see buses in that number range running in the new area but I wait till that evidence comes back before saying a bus is transferred.

[jajuan]

Unless there are other 1900's in that range spotted on 103rd's routes, I'm sticking with it being a loan from 77th. Loans between 77th and 103rd seem to happen the most in the system as far as bus shortages are concerned. There are times when you'll spot NOVA's on back to back days at the Dan Ryan or on J14 or other 103rd routes. Plus with 103rd running a big chunk of service related to the closure of the Red Line (running 24/7 shuttles, HUGE increase in service on J14, 29 and other bus alternatives) they're already probably pretty much using ALL they have as far as equipment is concerned. That was already seen when optimas started showing up on routes that they've never or hardly ran before in addition to a JUMP artic showing up on R95 last week. Now if say 1939, 1941, 1942 etc get spotted in 103rd's area then we can probably go with the possibilty of a transfer. I usually wait for a pattern like that to show up now before counting a bus out of place as a loan. I may post it on here just to make notice of it and see if others see buses in that number range running in the new area but I wait till that evidence comes back before saying a bus is transferred.

Sam, I'm not saying the bus was transferred only that it was out of place from its usual spot. Remember this thread has been the spot to mention when a bus or two is spotted outside of a previous garage assignment or otherwise unusual sighting IN GENERAL. 1940 still qualified as such whether a loan or not. Heck I didn't even say that 1900 was transferred However Bushunter's garage rosters in the roster thread seem to confirm that it and 1902 moved from Chicago and are now North Park buses. if you look at my next post, my response was what? 'So looking at your rosters, 1940 was the out of place bus.' Which implies what? That not one time was I saying or ready to say that 1940 was transferred, just out of place.

[Sam92]

Sam, I'm not saying the bus was transferred only that it was out of place from its usual spot. Remember this thread has been the spot to mention when a bus or two is spotted outside of a previous garage assignment or otherwise unusual sighting IN GENERAL. 1940 still qualified as such whether a loan or not. Heck I didn't even say that 1900 was transferred However Bushunter's garage rosters in the roster thread seem to confirm that it and 1902 moved from Chicago and are now North Park buses. if you look at my next post, my response was what? 'So looking at your rosters, 1940 was the out of place bus.' Which implies what? That not one time was I saying or ready to say that 1940 was transferred, just out of place.

Oops? Thought it was for only "moves" as in transfers. My bad :lol:

[jajuan]

Oops? Thought it was for only "moves" as in transfers. My bad

I think it started that way, but with CTA moving buses around so much at the time in loans and transfers, especially the 1000s, and still doing so each time a new pick starts, it sort of became an any kind of unusual sighting thread with the moves around pick time investigated on whether they were transfers or loans.

[Busjack]

Probably not random within the the administration, is this Tribune report that some bus maintenance supervisor with supervision over subcontractors got Bus & Truck of Chicago to fix his daughter's car at a discount, waiving the insurance deductible and tried to cover it up. The Inspector General found the guy guilty of ethics violations, and while he got suspended for 3 weeks, doesn't seem to have received the full measure of punishment the IG recommended.

The real question: CTA has ethics rules?

[geneking7320]

Probably not random within the the administration, is this Tribune report that some bus maintenance supervisor with supervision over subcontractors got Bus & Truck of Chicago to fix his daughter's car at a discount, waiving the insurance deductible and tried to cover it up. The Inspector General found the guy guilty of ethics violations, and while he got suspended for 3 weeks, doesn't seem to have received the full measure of punishment the IG recommended.

The real question: CTA has ethics rules?

Busjack;

Do you remember when Walter Jacobson was in his heyday? He did a Perspective that exposed Milton Pikarsky get his vehicle repaired by the workers at the 77th Garage (aka Vincennes-78 ). He couldn't get a phone response from Pikarsky

so he listed the number on the screen and said maybe the viewers could. What a hoot! Anyway, you'd think someone would wise up and not do the same or similar thing.

[Busjack]

Busjack;

Do you remember when Walter Jacobson was in his heyday? He did a Perspective that exposed Milton Pikarsky get his vehicle repaired by the workers at the 77th Garage (aka Vincennes-78 ). He couldn't get a phone response from Pikarsky

so he listed the number on the screen and said maybe the viewers could. What a hoot! Anyway, you'd think someone would wise up and not do the same or similar thing.

I wasn't around for that one. That must have been in the days when you couldn't dump calls into voice mail.

I do remember that Belcaster got the boot when he was investing in Ballard Power Systems during the short time CTA was testing their fuel cell buses (e.g., Crain's article). Belcaster also was the first time that Richie Daley embarked on his pattern of violating the MTA Act by putting someone other than a transit professional into the CTA position.

[jajuan]

Probably not random within the the administration, is this Tribune report that some bus maintenance supervisor with supervision over subcontractors got Bus & Truck of Chicago to fix his daughter's car at a discount, waiving the insurance deductible and tried to cover it up. The Inspector General found the guy guilty of ethics violations, and while he got suspended for 3 weeks, doesn't seem to have received the full measure of punishment the IG recommended.

The real question: CTA has ethics rules?

They have them but apparently don't exercise them to their full intent in that the overwhelming sentiment is this guy got a slap on the wrist. And Bus and Truck isn't their only maintenance subcontractor is it? His duties are significantly reduced and no longer justify his current salary, yes. But I don't think the article's respondents' conclusion he has zero duties are completely accurate.

[Busjack]

They have them but apparently don't exercise them to their full intent in that the overwhelming sentiment is this guy got a slap on the wrist. And Bus and Truck isn't their only maintenance subcontractor is it? His duties are significantly reduced and no longer justify his current salary, yes. But I don't think the article's respondents' conclusion he has zero duties are completely accurate.

CTA was also sending rebuild orders to Inland Detroit Diesel.

However, more in point to your comment is that the big rebuild order for the 1000s went to Cummins NPower and New Flyer, so he'll have a lot to supervise. However, I doubt that either does automobile insurance work.

[jajuan]

CTA was also sending rebuild orders to Inland Detroit Diesel.

However, more in point to your comment is that the big rebuild order for the 1000s went to Cummins NPower and New Flyer, so he'll have a lot to supervise. However, I doubt that either does automobile insurance work.

Oh true. I had read the article before it was linked here in this thread and my immediate thought was how did he think he was truly going to hide from the powers that be that the repair was done on a car and not a bus or one of CTA's large trucks? And equally important how did he think he was going to hide from the daughter's insurance company that the repair work was done not at an auto repair place but at a bus heavy maintenance facility? Unless of course they weren't going to mention her need of repair to her insurance company, so never mind I answered my own question as that part of it belatedly clicked in my head. The one guy also had a valid point that she would still have to pay her deductible so what was the point in risking his job? The fact that this bit of corrupt behavior involved a few hundred dollars and not significantly more as I saw one person bring up is beside the point.

[Busjack]

Oh true. I had read the article before it was linked here in this thread and my immediate thought was how did he think he was truly going to hide from the powers that be that the repair was done on a car and not a bus or one of CTA's large trucks? And equally important how did he think he was going to hide from the daughter's insurance company that the repair work was done not at an auto repair place but at a bus heavy maintenance facility? Unless of course they weren't going to mention her need of repair to her insurance company, so never mind I answered my own question as that part of it belatedly clicked in my head. The one guy also had a valid point that she would still have to pay her deductible so what was the point in risking his job? The fact that this bit of corrupt behavior involved a few hundred dollars and not significantly more as I saw one person bring up is beside the point.

It seems like a pretty trivial thing (the 3 weeks without pay is certainly going to cost more), but the article pointed out Dudek asked an employee of Bus & Truck to give a "bogus invoice" to cover up.

Anyway, this probably would not have been discovered other than by "an anonymous tip."

I was thinking that the bogus invoice might have been to fool the insurance company (as your post indicates), but my recent experience with insurance adjusters is that they use the Mitchell Estimating Software and cut a check, and then you can go to a body shop and ask them "will you fix this for this?" So, maybe fooling the insurance company wasn't necessary. But if someone will fix the car for less, you pocket the rest of the check. It probably also depends on whether the check is payable just to you, or to you and the body shop jointly, but I think that I just endorsed a check made out to me to the body shop. And the last time it happened, I just cashed the check and didn't fix the car, which I traded in a bit later for exactly that much off the Blue Book value. Both of those were on other people's liability insurance, as I won't make a claim for scratching up my own car.